Physician Equipment

The vast array of supplies needed by a physician on a daily basis is immense and it often depends on the types of situations, injuries and illnesses that he or she may encounter on any particular day. Since this is never predictable, a physician must be prepared for all possible situations, injuries, illnesses and even emergencies that may happen to people under their care.

Not only will a physician need utensils and tools for every possible emergency, but she will need samples of antibiotics, antiseptics, and anything else that might give her patients relief.

Different Types of Equipment That Might be Found in a Physicians Office:

The Stethoscope

The Stethoscope is the staple tool found in all doctors' offices and probably the tool with which almost everyone is familiar. Stethoscopes are used to hear sounds generated from within the body, from the heart, lungs and intestinal tract. They can also be used for measuring blood pressure.

When listening to the heart through a stethoscope a physician listens for any irregularities in the normal "lub-dub" sound that the heart usually makes. Each "lub-dub" represents one contraction of the heart. Some of these irregularities include a quiet "whoosh" that might be heard after the "lub-dub" which is called a "murmur". A murmur can be caused by a valve that doesn't open or close all the way. Many people have heart murmurs that have no affect on their daily lives.

Just as when listening to the heart, a physician listens for sounds of irregularities when listening to the lungs as well. These irregularities include crackling or wheezing when breathing in and out; these sounds should not be present in healthy lungs. Crackling can indicate that there is fluid present in the lungs and wheezing can indicate a possible airway disease such as bronchitis.

The Otoscope

The Otoscope is used in an ear examination; a doctor uses it to look inside the ear canal and investigate an earache, ear infection, hearing loss, or other ear symptoms. Examining the ear can often reveal the cause of these symptoms. In young children, the only symptoms of an ear infection may be tugging at the ear, crankiness, or fever. Examining the ear is a useful means of determining if an infection actually exists and monitoring the effectiveness of treatments for some ear problems.

Anatomical Charts

Anatomical Charts are another common staple of a doctors' office that patients may notice when visiting. These are plastic charts that are most often used as the decoration in doctors' offices and medical clinics; they can be printed directly on styrene or can be laminated.

Most often they display a certain part of the body in great detail, among the most common charts on display are detailed pictures of the Anatomy of the Heart, the Muscular System, Respiratory System, Nervous System, Skeletal System, Digestive System and the Reproductive Systems of both males and females. They sometimes depict specific parts of the body such as: Head & Neck, Wrist & Hand, Hip & Knee, Foot & Ankle and Shoulder & Elbow.

You may not find all of these in one doctors' office, but doctors who practice specific types of medicine will often have anatomical charts that relate to their specific field.

By Elysse Kimberlin

Physician Equipment

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